Al-Rahi Criticizes 'Cold-blooded' MPs over Baabda Vacuum, Extension
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi slammed on Monday “cold-blooded” lawmakers for violating the constitution by causing a vacuum at the presidential palace and extending their own term.
MPs are using their power to cause paralysis in the presidency because of personal and foreign interests, said al-Rahi in his opening statement at the 48th meeting of the council of catholic patriarchs and bishops in Lebanon.
He “condemned the lawmakers who are causing vacuum in the legislative branch and violating the constitution, and going against the will of the people.”
Last week, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to extend their mandate by another two years and seven months, skipping scheduled elections for the second consecutive time.
The vote now gives parliament eight full years in power— double its allowed mandate — to June 2017. Ninety-five lawmakers among those who showed up voted in favor of the extension, while two opposed.
Thirty one boycotted the session altogether in protest over the controversial decision.
Al-Rahi has even slammed boycotting MPs, saying they should show their protest to the extension by announcing their resignations.
Al-Rahi said Monday the conferees will discuss the fate of the Christian family in addition to other issues.
He warned in his opening statement that the “the family is under threat in Lebanon.”
“The state is responsible for guaranteeing the needs of the family,” he said at the start of the conference which was also attended by a Vatican representative, Archbishop of Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn.
“The church will double its efforts in meeting the needs of the family … Civil society should also exert efforts to preserve the family and protect it,” said al-Rahi.
The meeting of the council of catholic patriarchs and bishops comes a month after al-Rahi attended at the Vatican a landmark synod of bishops on the family under Pope Francis.
The bishops and a small number of lay figures spent two weeks addressing the gulf between what the church says about issues such as divorce and cohabitation and what many followers actually do.
But the bishops failed to reach a consensus on opening the church's doors to remarried divorcees and gays.
10 November 2014, 10:32
13
why not tell us WHO you are talking about patriarch rahi. This only adds confusion and speculation to the dark situation and corruption of Lebanon.
10 November 2014, 11:16
104
@bsnickjames
Do you have any idea why I was banned repeatedly?>>>>
10 November 2014, 11:18
35
if we have popular vote for presidency there will be no tamdeed no choughour and outside interferences will be sterile and our political parties will be sidelined cause the people will decide
and most of all proportionality in the new electoral law (as stipulated in taef )will give each political party its right volume
god bless democracy
10 November 2014, 11:29
24
sad truth is that since 1990 the "Christian" president of Lebanon is a figurehead with no authority and no significance. It makes no difference but only to pretend Christians still have a role in government.
10 November 2014, 11:35
83
FTs complete nervous breakdown side effects, mutiple personalities and loss of own identity.
10 November 2014, 15:56
10
FTs complete nervous breakdown side effects, mutiple personalities and loss of own identity.
10 November 2014, 11:42
74
Electing the Christian president is not important, we've replaced him with the iranian Shiite supreme leader as per hezballah stated ideology.
10 November 2014, 12:16
47
First of all, in response to the Patriarch Rai the so called Parliamentary deputies in Lebanon have lost all forms of legitimacy, and their latest extension of their mandate has reinforced the popular view that they are nothing but a burden on the people of Lebanon. Moreover, in regards to the Baabda vacuum I support the view that the ruling political class in Lebanon are incapable of electing a new leader in this critical juncture because their backers that includes both Iran and Saudi Arabia are still at odds with each other, and that has prevented the emergence of so called consensus leader much similar to Michel Suleiman back in 2008. Finally, any person who has a sufficient understanding of the internal political dynamics in Lebanon will conclude that the state will inevitably fall under the weight of its own contradictions.
10 November 2014, 13:13
94
flamethrower and his derivatives are very active these days. He cannot leave this forum alone. He posts under 20 different names and sits all day pressing the report button. despicable !
10 November 2014, 17:42
22
This was expected, that before the end of the year 2014, His Eminence the Batrak will reach point exasperation with Lebanon's politicians. With each passing day now, H.E is making his sentiments felt more and more, maybe very soon the Batrak will draw that all too important line and just designate a president. True, the post of president is allocated to a Maronite even though he is president of all the Lebanese, but now the vacuum is being exploited by Aoun and Hezbollah for purposes we now all know. let His Eminence appoint a couple of candidates and instruct our politicians to chose one within a delay of a week, and if not, He will appoint one of them, like it or not. Lebanon's politicians do not move without a kick in the butt, that is the sad truth, let no one tell you that One of them has something called dignity or integrity.
10 November 2014, 17:58
22
@accountability, I agree, but Al Rahi is getting there now, surely and without doubt.
10 November 2014, 21:38
11
Al-Rahi has even slammed boycotting MPs, saying they should show their protest to the extension by announcing their resignations.
--So he basically condemned every single politician lmao.
